Working and Loving
by Good Alien
Summary: Can Betty and Gio ever get it right?
1. Chapter 1

Business had been very good at the deli lately and Gio was thinking about what to do next. Should he try to expand and hope that a second deli would do just as well, or save his extra money towards his ultimate goal - the largest sandwich shop with the longest condiment bar.

He was grateful that this was his biggest problem. Since he'd taken a break from women, he found that his life ran much smoother and he got a lot more done. He never really cared for one night stands and his last relationship ended really badly for him. It would take a special woman to break through the wall that now surrounded him. And he wasn't looking for one.

He looked around and decided he had done everything that needed to be done for the day and he would maybe get out a little earlier than usual. He could use the rest. He'd been working almost every waking hour since he'd sworn off women. He flipped off the light and set the alarm and locked up the building. He started walking towards his van when he heard a familiar voice call his name.

"Gio", he turned around and there she was, his fondest dream and worst nightmare all rolled up into one woman, Betty Suarez.

"Hey Suarez, how've you been?"

"I've been ok, I guess. Work is about the same. I love my apartment, although I had to let Amanda live with me for a while. That was stressful. Oh, and I had a crush on my neighbor and he totally didn't feel the same way about me." Betty admitted.

At this, Gio turned to look at her. "Why are you here, Suarez? Do you want me to make you feel better after another guy leaves you? Cause I've got to tell you, you've come to the wrong place."

"No, Gio, that's not why I'm here at all. I've been thinking about you a lot lately."

Gio just stared blankly at her.

Betty started figeting and swirling her hair nervously and said "Don't you have anything to say?"

"Not really"

"Why are you being so mean?"

At that remark, he started to lose his temper. "How dare you call me mean. You led me on, you dumped me, you broke my heart and you let me walk out of your life as if it meant nothing to you. Do you expect me to break into a song and dance because you have been thinking about me? You really think a lot about yourself, don't you?"

"Gio, no, that's not what I'm trying to say."

"Well then what exactly are you trying to say," Gio demanded.

At this point she was so frustrated and upset that her eyes started to fill with tears. She thought about leaving, but she realized on a certain level she deserved to feel this uncomfortable.

"I just wanted to tell you I was wrong," Betty said softly.

"Wrong about what?" Gio wanted to know.

"Wrong about everything concerning you."

"Go on." It was all he could do to keep the smirk off his face.

"I was wrong to think you were only around to annoy me and run down my boyfriend. I was wrong for telling you I'd go away with you and changing my mind at the last minute. I was wrong to think what I did wouldn't hurt you, and when you got back, I was wrong not to fight for you." Betty said this very quickly and took a deep breath when she was finished.

"And what good do you think fighting would have done?"

Betty sighed and said, "You know, I think I'll just go now."

"Bye Suarez, good to see you. Come by and buy a sandwich sometime." Gio said in a happy tone which was clearly forced.

Betty turned around and walked away. Gio started walking toward his van again and wondered if he had been too mean to her. Was there such as thing as being too mean to her after the way she treated him? He wasn't going to worry about that. He had moved on.

When he reached his van, he stuck his hand in his pocket to get his car keys and they weren't there. He had locked up the store with the extra set of keys he kept at the deli, which didn't have the keys to his apartment or his van.

"Damn," he thought. He didn't feel like walking all that way back but he had no choice.

He got about halfway back to the shop when he heard what sounded like sobbing. He looked down an alley between two buildings and about half way down he saw a girl sitting on the ground with her head in her hands, sobbing. He wondered if she was in trouble and started to walk toward her. Then he saw - it was Betty. He stopped short. If he went to comfort her he was in trouble and he knew it. She had always been able to make him forget all the bad things she'd done to him. He didn't understand it, but he knew it was true. He turned around and started back to the street but he stopped. He couldn't do it. He was a doomed man and he knew it. He walked up to her and said softly, "Are you ok, Betty?"

She looked up at him with a look of total despair. Her face was red and swollen and her hair was a mess. "No, I'm not ok. Just leave me alone."

"I don't think so. You don't have to stay with me, but you aren't going to sit in this alley with it getting dark. Come on."

"I can't go out on the street looking like this," Betty said.

"Well, I'm going back to my shop. I picked up the wrong set of keys. You can come and sit there for a little while until you get yourself together."

She got up and reluctantly walked with him, with her face looking at the sidewalk so no one could see her sadness.

When they reached the store, Gio opened the door and pointed her toward a table. He went into the back room to get the right set of keys and when he came back, Betty was sobbing again.

So much for his early evening to relax. He grabbed two bottles of water from the cooler and went to sit with her.

"What is wrong, Betty?" Gio sighed.

"I tried to tell you, but you wouldn't listen to me," Betty said through her tears.

"I promise I'll listen this time," Gio said in the kindest voice he could.

After composing herself for a minute, Betty started to talk. "Gio, during the past couple of months I've thought of you every day. At first I was feeling bad that I hurt you, but that started to change. I started to miss you. I didn't ever realize you were my best friend, the person I turned to the most and who I could always depend on. Then, as I thought about all the things I missed about you I realized I had made a terrible mistake with you. I love you and I want you back in my life." She rushed through the last part and looked at the table.

He sat there silently and thought about what she said. Finally, he spoke. "Betty, you meant the world to me. I would have done anything for you. You were my best friend, too and I loved you. I've spent the last couple of months getting used to the fact that I don't have that anymore. I mean, excuse me for not getting really excited to hear you say this. You totally treated me like crap and broke my heart."

"So there is no hope for us?" Betty asked sadly.

He thought about this for a minute. He finally looked at her and said.

"Betty, I will give you a chance if you want to try to win me back. I'll be open minded, but it's all up to you. You have to pursue me, you have to make me want to spend time with you. You have to convince me that you truly want me. You have to make me love you again."

"Oh Gio, thank you. All I want is a chance." Betty smiled.

"Do you want a ride home? It's getting dark and frankly, you're a mess," Gio asked.

"Thanks Gio, that would be great."

They walked in silence to the van and rode the couple of miles to her apartment without speaking.

He pulled over near her building and looked her in the eyes.

"I've got to warn you Suarez, I'm not easy. Especially where you're concerned. You've got your work cut out for you if you want to win me back." Gio informed her.

"That's ok, I'm willing to work. You're worth it." She gave him a shy smile and got out of the van.

Gio sat there for a moment before he drove off and wondered what the hell he'd done.


	2. Chapter 2

Betty was exhausted when she had finished climbing the 5 flights of stairs to her apartment. When she finished relocking all the locks her father had put up, she looked around her place. It was nice enough, but it still didn't seem like home. What ever made her think she needed to be alone. She wasn't having exciting adventures and it wasn't helping her at work. All it was doing was making her lonely.

She was also exhausted from her encounter with Gio. She couldn't believe she actually got up the nerve to go through with telling him how she felt. She had lurked outside his deli several times trying to get up the nerve to talk to him. She had started to feel like a stalker. Tonight, she just decided to go for it. The fact that he was still mad and still hurt made her very unhappy.

In the months since he'd been gone from her life she had thought about him every day. At first it was just regret that her actions had hurt him so badly. She often found herself at her little table just staring at the place where he had told her she broke his heart and replaying the events in her mind. This always made her sad, sometimes she just sat there and cried.

Then it became a longing to talk to him, to see him, even to fight with him. It became a hole in her life. She tried filling it with other people and with work, but the hole was still there. And it seemed to get bigger every day. She was afraid one day the hole would just swallow her. That's when she finally admitted to herself what she had denied for so long - she loved him. It was a relief to finally stop denying it.

Now he was willing to give her another chance, but she had to do all the work. She guessed that was only fair - but she had no idea what to do. Guys had always come after her. She had only gone after one guy and that had been a disaster.

And how could she win him back after what she had done to him. Before, their relationship had grown slowly by seeing each other almost every day at work. Now his business had become so successful he didn't come to her office any more. He had people to do that. How could she make someone like her again when she didn't even see him?

She started to cry. She had been given a second chance at happiness and she had no idea how to get it. She would sleep on it and hope that she would wake up with an answer. She just had to.

Gio was in a bad mood. Traffic had been terrible this morning and he was running late. He had a busy day and he had wanted to get an early start. As he was unlocking the door to the deli, his foot hit something and he heard a strange sound. He looked down and there was a small purple gift bag, He picked it up and looked in it. At first, he was confused. It was a small stuffed Mallard duck. When he took it out of the bag, it quacked when he squeezed it. Now it was starting to make sense to him. He saw a note in the bag and he took it out to read it.

The note said "You were right, I make too many excuses and try to blame other people and events for not having what I want. I have decided to stop making excuses and go for what I want. I hope you have a great day, Gio. Your friend, Betty." He looked at the duck and squeezed it a couple more times just for fun. He had to admit it put him in a better mood. He went in the deli and put the duck by the cash register and went to work.

It was a very busy day, and he had some cranky customers, but whenever he looked at the duck on the counter he somehow felt happier. In the late afternoon he was finally able to take a short break. He decided to call Betty and thank her for the gift. It was the polite thing to do, after all.

He dialed the once familiar number and heard "Daniel Meade's office." He said "Hi Betty, it's me."

Betty's heart stopped for a moment and she said "Hi Gio, how's your day going?"

"It's been pretty busy and stressful, but someone left me a small gift this morning which helped me get through the day in a better mood."

"Really, anyone I know?" she asked.

"Stop trying to be cute, Betty. I called to thank you. It was nice of you to think of me."

"I told you yesterday, I think of you every day."

When Gio didn't say anything, she asked "Do you remember the day we first met? We had at least three fights and I got you fired."

"Yeah, B, I remember." Gio sighed.

"Whenever you look at the duck I want you to remember that day and how happy I am that we met. I also want you to remember that I liked you from the first moment I saw you and no matter what happens between us, you will always have a very special place in my heart. I have to go now, Gio. I have a meeting. Thanks for calling. I'm glad we had a chance to talk."

"Bye, Betty. And thanks again."

He hung up and stared at the phone in his hand. Who was he kidding, it wasn't going to be as hard for her to win him over as he had thought. If a small, stuffed duck could affect him this much, he was doomed. He just couldn't let her know.


End file.
